Interview with Ralph Ferraro

Ralph Michael Ferraro is the winner of 2013 International Art Festival competition in the photography category.

For Ralph Michael it is not just the art of photography, it is the art of capturing the moment. Ralph Michael’s photography goes hand in hand with poems. You can check out his great blog to inspire, observe, create: http://www.RmfTop.blogspot.com/For Ralph Michael Ferraro photography started as a passion in high school. At one point in highschool he got a one page assignment to write about himself. All the students wrote an essay, but Ralph Michael presented a poem. However, that writing skill went back into the back burner at that point.

After college Ralph Michael went on a trip where he captured the moments of his travels. He said: “I was fascinated by the colors, by the shapes, and by the patterns that I saw, the experiences that I had when I traveled. So I organized them into the slideshows. And when I showed them to people, they really enjoyed it. They said: “ We have been there, but we did not see that!” or “We have never been there, but now we feel like we have been there”. So I did it as a passion.”After college Ralph Michael worked as a social worker and helped people make changes. Then he gradually shifted from legal psychology to emotional-energy psychology - your thinking is energy, your feeling is energy. Currently Ralph Michael teaches psychology and creates award-winning photography.

Ralph Michael also shared his experience at the International Art Festival:

Daria Gradusova: Was the IAF a good networking opportunity?Ralgh Ferraro: The IAF was a mixed experience in regard to networking. The opening night on Central Park West and the opening night in Jersey City were great opportunities to meet both talented artists and visitors to the exhibit who enjoyed the artwork. After the grand opening at each event, the visitors were few and far between. Even the artists were not around most of the day.Daria Gradusova: Indeed. However, the openings of exhibitions always get a big visitation due to reception and a limited time of event, while the rest of the days the galleries open regular hours and do not provide the social opportunity.

DG: Did IAF in any way influence your career?RF: The IAF was an exciting experience for me. I was very grateful to have my photographs chosen for the exhibit. I enjoyed talking to the fellow artists that were on display. I also enjoyed taking visitors through the gallery to see my photographs and the work of the other artists.The IAF experience definitely encouraged me to pursue my artistic passion without reservation.

DG: Did you enjoy the vibe of the event? RF: The IAF produced two different types of vibes. The first vibration was the excitement of being chosen and on display for all to see. The ability to share my art, my photographs with other artists and with the public was truly a joy. This positive vibration was exhilarating. The second vibration was the joy of showing visitors around the gallery and helping them to experience the various artists. It was a joy to see their attraction to the different works of art.

DG: Would you recommend this competition for emerging artists?RF: I would definitely recommend this competition to any artist. When I submitted my works, I felt positive. I felt that I was offering works of value. I didn’t know for certainty that they would be chosen, but was very excited when I got the news that my photographs were chosen.

DG: What advise would you give to those who are submitting their work?RF: Be playfulBe in touch with your inner spiritAllow your unique qualities, your passion to emerge in each piece that you do.Do not be concerned about whether someone else would like or value your work. A woman who came to the exhibit said, “there is a lot of shit masquerading as art, but if the work is truly art it will speak to the soul of those allowing themselves to experience the work of art.”Do not attempt to imitate someone else (famous artist) or style (classic, avant-garde, etc.).

I am pleased to announce my work has been selected to be a part of the See.Me group exhibition SCOPE Miami Beach Show in Miami Beach. My artwork will be displayed in Miami in rotation on several HD plasma screens at one of the SEE.ME booths in the SCOPE Art Fair.

Postcardwall is once again exhibiting its entire collection to date. A catalogue by Sophie Hill, taken from contemporary exhibitions as well as historical collections. Postcard Drawing 5 from Carlos Aquilino Solo Exhibit at Broadway gallery NYC is shown on this exhibit. August 27th-September 9th.

art/words/postcardwall; a catalogue by Sophie Hill. An exhibition catalogue of both images and words to date, taken from contemporary exhibitions as well as historical collections. The postcard on Drawing 5 from Carlos Aquilino Solo Exhibit at Broadway gallery NYC is shown on this wall.

"Affinità e Contrasti" organized by StudioArTe Carapostol will be the first event to open the Venetian art season. The exhibition will be held in Venice January 6 to 13, 2012 in Scoletta of St. John the Baptist.Vernissage Friday January 6th at 5.30 pm with the famous" Oste" and sabre d'or ambassador Mauro Lorenzon owner of the Enoiteca Mascareta in Venice

Curator Basak Malone’s project ‘Departure’ sets 10 artists into motion questioning how to let go. “Letting go” is what we are left to reconcile with and this is where we are asked to make a leap continuously and impromptu.

“Departure from pretentiousness. Passage out of mediocracy. Good-bye to black/white-seeing. Farewell to dulled-out love. Escape from hypocrisy. Separation from bad faith. Vacation from hierarchy. Deviation from the expected. Innovation to the unknown. Shift of rules. Variation into live music. Wandering in the clouds. Outgoing for the embrace. Initial motion from slavery. Last exit to Brooklyn*. Hasta la Vista baby. Adieu mon amour. Kick the habit. Removing of the shells. Dissapear into the sunset. Point of embarkation. Winging one’s flight. Leaving the past. Exception to the norm. Avoidance as a strategy. Difference of beauty. Prevention from the inevitable. Annihilation of being. Cessation of debris. Collapse of failure. Oblivion to taste. Dying…Contrasting life. Exodus. Liberation from duality. Distinction of meaningfulness.

Departure of the artistry… ”

*In reference to ”Last Exit to Brooklyn Bridge” drama film based on the novel by Hubert Selby Jr. , directed by Uli Edel and starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, 1989.

ExhibitionBrooklyn Museum - Current Exhibitions
The Rise of Sneaker Culture

ExhibitionExhibitions - Philadelphia Museum of Art
Fabulous Fashion: From Dior’s New Look to Now

October 16, 2018 - March 3, 2019: Experience the drama and glamour of some of the most creative feminine fashions ever designed, from romantic ball gowns to audacious contemporary ensembles, and everything in between. See how designers have used color and pattern, shape and volume, draping, metallics, and embellishments to continually reinvent the art form. The pieces in the exhibition—daywear, bridal wear, and more—showcase the Museum’s outstanding costume collection. Many are on view for the first time.

ExhibitionExhibitions - Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Duchamp Family

August 18, 2018 - August 2019: Marcel Duchamp was one of the most original figures of his era. He also belonged to a close-knit clan of artistic innovators, each of whom made distinctive contributions to modern art. This exhibition highlights the Duchamps and the many connections linking their groundbreaking works.

November 11, 2018 - March 3, 2019: Before Barbie and American Girl, there was Miss Fanchon. The ultimate toy for privileged girls in the 1860s and 1870s, she and her friends were seen as models of ladylike perfection. These dolls came with an amazing array of dresses, undergarments, and meticulously crafted accessories, from gloves and jewelry to roller skates and calling cards. Bring the kids—or just your love of all things miniature—and marvel at these tiny Victorian treasures.

November 18, 2018 - April 14, 2019: Love the look and feel of your smartphone? Thank Dieter Rams. His quietly innovative versions of household products, stripped of any extraneous features, continue to influence industrial design today. Throughout a celebrated career at the German manufacturer Braun and the furniture company Vitsœ, Rams created elegant and intuitive forms that remain timeless monuments to understatement and ease of use.

October 27, 2018 - July 7, 2019: Fifty years ago, a three-day exhibition and happening in Amalfi changed the course of contemporary art in Italy. Arte Povera reacted against the dominance of Minimalism and Pop Art and engaged in a type of guerrilla art-making emphasizing process and the use of humble, inexpensive materials. This installation pays tribute to that groundbreaking event and features a number of works originally exhibited in Amalfi.

April 26, 2018 - August 2020: Explore two majestic works by renowned artist Ursula von Rydingsvard in the Museum’s Sculpture Garden. First constructed in cedar and then cast in bronze and urethane resin, these lyrical sculptures exemplify the artist’s complex approach to scale, material, and technique. Now, She coincides with a major exhibition devoted to the sculptor’s work at the Fabric Workshop and Museum.

August 18, 2018 - February 10, 2019: Edwin Dickinson’s inventive work sets him apart from any other American painter of the twentieth century. Drawing from nature, heroes like El Greco and Cézanne, and the many styles of modernism, Dickinson worked with a singular independence. See how he and contemporaries Edward Hopper, Willem de Kooning, and others followed their own stars and pursued idiosyncratic paths to modernism.

ExhibitionMoMA: Current Exhibitions
: Young Architects Program 2017, MMCA, Seoul